Before the ice age
by rosehill
Summary: Past fic. What happened to some characters on Akilian just before the Ice Age.
1. Chapter 1

Synopsis: past fic. What happened to some characters on Akilian just before the Ice Age.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Galactik Football" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me. The OCs belong to me but I'm not too possessive: just warn me if you ever want to use them.

_Before the ice age_

**A road of Akilian, ****16 months before the explosion**

Aarch and Norata were walking back slowly from their father's funeral. Neither of them wanted to talk. Their dad had been sick for so much time that his death was hardly a surprise. Maybe he had not been exactly the father they wanted to have, but now they were so sad to lose him, anyway. Knowing that they were brothers and that they could always comfort each other was a great help.

"Training session tomorrow with the team?" Aarch asked matter-of-factly.

"Of course", his brother answered with a little smile. Another person would have been offended by this trivial question just after a funeral but Norata knew nothing could make his brother feel better more than galactik football. Moreover, this sport was the glue that had always kept them together.

"When do you want us to sell the house and the flower shop?" the younger brother asked.

"Selling it?" the elder said. "I don't get it. Why would you want to sell it?"

"It's the most logical solution. We didn't live there anymore. It was our father's place and we're galactik football players, Norata!"

His brother looked at him seriously. "If you don't want the house, sell me your parts. I want to keep it."

The blue-eyed brother frowned. "Why? You can't be a florist and a football player at the same time; it would mean too much work."

"Then I'll hire someone to help me, to sell things for example. I'm serious, I want to keep this house. This will be the best place for raising a family!"

Aarch jumped. "What? You're going to get married and you hadn't told me about it?"

"No, I haven't found a girlfriend yet. But I want to start a family one day. You can't play galactik football forever, you know. I love it but I'm not getting any younger and I think on the long run, family will become more important."

The younger brother nodded. Sport was more important than anything else to him and he loved everything about it: the way it made him forget everything else, the feeling of solidarity with the other players, the sensations of the Breath, the adrenaline… He didn't feel ready to give it up but he could understand how his brother felt about it. "All right", he said, "I'll sell you my parts. Just promise me to be with me for the next Cup. I don't think I'll find a midfielder like you easily."

The brothers looked at each other with a knowing look and then hugged. It was good to know they could always count on each other.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Akilian Stadium, 15**** months before**

The training session was over and all the players were going back to the changing-room. Max, the bald defender, was humming happily. "By the way, my friends" he suddenly said, "I forgot to tell you: my novel will be published soon!"

There were some applause and a few laughs. "By which publishing house?" someone wanted to know.

"Well… none yet. But I've finished it yesterday and when the publishers read it, they'll all accept, won't they?"

There were even more laughs. Max, who had a sense of humour, just shrugged. "You'll see. One day, I'll be famous thanks to this novel!"

"You're already famous", Norata noticed.

"Never mind! I'll pay you a round of drinks to celebrate. Who wants to come?"

Most players wanted to but Aarch saw his brother refusing politely, saying he had to work at the shop. He took him aside. "You come and have this drink with us. I think you're going too far with the job. Your shop assistant can wait a little more, can't she?"

"I'm not going too far. I'm taking my job seriously, that's all."

The younger brother sighed. His elder sibling had always been very hard-working but now he was spending all of his time either in the shop and the greenhouses, or at the training sessions. This was getting worrying. "Your assistant is able to manage alone for one or two hours, I guess. Just tell her you'll be late. Or is she stupid?"

"Definitely not! I'd just better come home in time, that's all."

"Is she cute?" a feminine voice asked. The two brothers turned around and saw Sandi, the reserve player, who was eyeing them mischievously.

Norata shrugged. "This was a private conversation, Sandi."

"Hey, everyone!" Sandi shouted. "Our favourite king of silence has a crush on his shop assistant!"

Sven, the bulky, silent goalkeeper, frowned. There were some laughs and some applause. "Well, that's some news", Max said. "Tell her to come and have a drink with us some day!"

There were some more laughs and applause but Aarch didn't hear them. His brother being possibly in love made him slightly uneasy and he didn't know why. The captain followed the other players to the Planet Akilian while Norata managed to go back to his shop but he left early and walked to his brother's.

A pretty girl was standing behind the counter and smiled at him politely. "Good afternoon, sir. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to have a word with my brother. Do you know where he is?"

She beamed. "You must be Aarch! How nice to meet you. Your brother is in the greenhouses."

"Thank you" he said, relieved. He was quite a good judge of character and the assistant looked kind and gentle, definitely not the gold-digger he was afraid to see. He found Norata working in the greenhouse. "Pity you didn't come", he said. "Sandi made Sven sing us something and it was quite a show."

"Sven doesn't sing" his brother said, his back still at him.

"He did, you know. He'd do anything… if Sandi asks him."

"Pity, indeed. Could you please go now? I have a problem with those orchids and I'd like to take care of it _now_."

The blue-eyed man took his brother by the shoulders. "Can't your orchids wait a little? I need to have a talk. Tell me about your assistant."

The grey-eyed brother looked at him, puzzled. "Kira? What do you want with her?"

"Do you love her?"

Norata shrugged. "She's my employee. I don't want to mix job and relationships."

"Why? You said yourself you want to start a family one day."

"Not with someone I work with. Imagine we start going out together, then it goes wrong and we break up. How could we carry on working at the same place? It would be wrong to do that to her and I'd loose a very efficient employee."

"So you do love her."

"None of your business. How is _your_ love life?"

Aarch signed. "Nobody loves me, as usual. We were talking about you."

"You didn't notice the way Artegor looks at you?"

The younger brother frowned. "Artegor? What do you mean, he's gay?"

"Pass me my secateurs, please. Don't tell me you never noticed anything."

Aarch passed the tool and shook his head. "He's a very good friend of mine, you know."

"I had noticed."

"So when are you going to ask your Kira out?"

The elder brother put his secateurs down and sighed. "Never. She's a good person, good with her job and she deserves better than that kind of relationship. Anyway, she looks too sensitive for… you know, if it doesn't end well, it will break her heart. I don't want her to take that risk."

His brother sighed in turn. "You know, you're weird, sometimes."

Ooo0ooo0oo

From behind the door, Kira was holding her breath. She had come down to ask her boss for a piece of information and she had heard all the conversation without meaning it. Slowly, she went back upstairs, sat down and breathed heavily.

This was _mad_. She didn't have a clue that her boss could have feelings for her and she wasn't sure that she liked it. And she had never heard of a man who keeps his distances with a woman because he _appreciates_ her. That was really crazy. What was going on?

She thought she heard footsteps and straightened her black hair. Her former boyfriend, the director of the theatre where she was working, was always telling her about her beautiful hair, her beautiful golden eyes, her hands, her perfect smile… Within all the months they had spent together, he had never seemed to notice that she was sensitive. Kira knew there's nothing more ridiculous than a beautiful woman who says her beauty is a curse but she couldn't help wishing her boyfriend had been able to see less of her outer beauty and more of her personality. She had stayed with him too long, hoping he would become less shallow and less straying. Then one day, she had left the theatre without warning anybody and started looking for another job in another city.

She had found this place. Selling flowers seemed to be an honourable way of making a living. Best of all, she had known at first sight that she couldn't possibly fall in love with her boss. He looked honest and reliable but somewhat cold, definitely not the romantic type, and romance was way too important in a relationship. She appreciated him because she didn't love him.

But now there was something weird about him. He wanted to protect her so much that he didn't even _want_ to try his luck with her?!! This was most mysterious. Suddenly, the assistant wanted to know more about this strange man. Of course she was too shy to go and tell him something like "_you seem to be an interesting person and I'd like to go out with you_", but there were many other ways to act…

When the little brother had left, she went down to the greenhouses and took her courage with both hands. "Good evening, sir", she said. "I'll go soon. Was everything ok?"

"Of course. You may leave" he answered without taking his eyes or his hands off the orchid he was still transplanting.

"You won't need anything else?"

"No, thanks."

"I was wondering", she added, her heart thumping, "if your football team qualifies for the next matches, you'll need to be away for some time. Then you'll need someone to stay and take care of the plants and everything…"

"You want to take my place?" he asked sarcastically, getting up and removing his gloves. The assistant would have blushed if she had the kind of skin that can redden.

"No!" she said. "I'd like to help…" His face was unreadable and she was starting to regret her proposal.

He thought about for a moment. The girl was conscientious, good with clients and she didn't look remotely stupid. Of course he didn't want to get too close to her but teaching her a few things couldn't hurt anybody. Then he nodded at her. "If that's want you want, come one hour earlier tomorrow. I'll show you how the greenhouses work. I'm warning you, I won't tolerate any lack of seriousness. Are you ok with this?"

"Of course!" she said, relieved. They shook hands and she left. He watched her leave, wondering if he had maybe done the wrong thing. Once she was outside, she burst into nervous laughter and started running toward her home.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

Synopsis: past fic. What happened to some characters on Akilian just before the Ice Age.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Galactik Football" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Before the ice age__, chapter 2_

**A ****village hall, 8 months before the explosion**

It was midnight and Aarch didn't feel remotely sleepy. Nobody did, anyway. There's something quite universal with the fact that nobody ever sleeps at wedding dinners. He just felt slightly weird because it was his brother's wedding.

Why did he, by the way? There was nothing wrong with his new sister-by-law. There was also nothing wrong with the fact his beloved brother was going to make his dream come true and was starting a family at last. Actually, the only disturbing thing was the fact his bond of friendship with his brother might loosen now that he was married. Another life, other interests than galactik football… It just felt weird.

"How long do you give them?" a voice asked him. The captain of the team turned around and saw Burns, the short, black-eyed midfielder. He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They look like a bit of a crack pairing, don't they? She seems to be a huge dreamer and he's so down-to-earth…"

Aarch laughed. "And you're a specialist, aren't you? Since when haven't you been in a relationship?"

"Well, observing others might be more fun. Look at these two ones." He gestured at Sven and Sandi, who were laughing together at another table. "They just need each other and don't realise it, pretending they're just good friends. "She" (he nodded at Adim) "needs to feel that she's in control of everything. Maybe one day she'll fall for a man she'll be able to boss around, and then she'll leave him because she'll think he's too weak for her. Or maybe she'll find someone more authoritative than her, and refuse to enter into a relationship with him because she wants to be in control while still admiring his charisma."

Burns nearly added that Aarch had exactly the same flaw and stopped himself just in time. People were sometimes uneasy at him being so perceptive. Aarch just shrugged. "I don't mind authoritative women", he said.

"How surprising."

Then Max went to them, grinning wildly. "Come on, stand up, I want to photograph everyone!" The two players complied and Aarch found himself standing between Adim and Artegor. The captain couldn't help noticing that she smelt good and that she looked particularly attractive that evening. Maybe it was because he was seeing her in a dress for the first time, or maybe because Burns had told him that she would be difficult to seduce, and he enjoyed difficulty… She winked at him and several years later, when Max had a look at the photos, he couldn't help noticing Artegor's wry face on one of them…

It was early in the morning when everyone left. Just before saying good-bye to his brother, Aarch took him apart. "I want to know", he whispered. "You told me months ago that you didn't want to mix work and relationships. How did this girl manage to get her claws into you?"

"She resigned" his brother said, beaming.

"She… what?"

"We had become, how to say, _very_ close and I had told her I didn't want to go too far with my employee, even if I wished I could. So one morning, I found her resignation letter and she saying she liked me better than the job."

Norata had to wipe his eyes. He had obviously drunk a bit too much, like practically everyone. "I hired her again two days later, what else could I do?" he carried on.

"Hey, thank you for giving me your brother", interrupted the bride, who had obviously drunk a little too. She hugged her new brother-by-law and kissed him on both cheeks. The newlyweds left hand in hand. Dumbfounded, the blue-eyed striker turned around and saw Adim saying goodbye to Sven and Sandi. They were holding hands under the table and it was obvious that they were becoming more than just good friends, and also less sober. Aarch followed Adim with his eyes. She talking with a man he had never seen before.

"Hey!" Norata's brother said to Max, who was also slightly drunk. "Do you know who that guy is?"

"Uh? A cousin of the bride, I think."

Aarch was getting tired and he decided that it was time for him to leave. He had a last look at Adim before leaving. Cute girl, definitely. And at the same time, he could guess what Burns would probably tell him if he were around. _Females are dangerous creatures, aren't they? If shy, quiet Kira was able to make your stubborn brother change his mind about something so important for him, what can a confident woman like Adim do to you?_

Well, he loved taking risks, after all. He decided to ask Adim out as soon as possible.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Planet Akilian, 7 months before**

"If you want my opinion", Artegor said again, "we should try to switch Max and Norata at least once. "They both seem to have potential in each other's fields."

Aarch nodded. "Why not? Although I'm not sure about Max. He may not be reactive enough to be a midfielder."

"It all depends on who he plays against."

"Maybe. But _that_ would be a problem. A good player has to be consistent."

"You can say that again." The two players took a sip of their drinks and exchanged a smile. They had gotten used to have a talk in this place every Saturday afternoon after the training session. It had become a ritual for them.

"And how was dinner yesterday?" the black-haired striker asked suddenly.

"Dinner?" his friend answered, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I heard you and Adim…"

The captain of the team sighed and looked away. "OK, who told you?"

"Max. He said he saw you by accident when he was looking for ideas for his next novel."

Aarch shook his head. "If Max told you that, half of the city must know now. Tell him about intimacy…"

Artegor laughed. "Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of! We have Sven and Sandi who go out together now, so why not you and Adim?"

Aarch was feeling slightly ashamed because the night had been both a success and a disaster at the same time. First they had disagreed on the choice of the restaurant (he wanted a Chinese and she wanted an Italian) and they had finally tossed up for it. He had enjoyed the dinner and the talking, tough. She was smart, confident, determined; they felt they were on the same wavelength. And then he had suggested going to the movies and they had strongly disagreed on the choice of the film. She wanted to toss up again to choose, he didn't want to. Finally, they had walked slowly back home, talked, felt good together and that had been the end of the night.

In a way, he had enjoyed the way they had disagreed. He was the competitive type, after all, and a partner who agrees with you all the time seemed somehow boring to him. Maybe a hectic relationship was exactly what he needed.

Artegor didn't ask more questions. He knew the night had not been entirely a success, thanks to talkative Max. Suddenly, he wondered why he felt quite satisfied about it. Because it meant he was not the only person whose love life was far from being perfect? Or was it for other reasons?

He changed the subject. "Well, don't you think Sandi made some progress lately?"

Ooo0ooo0oo

**The newlyweds'**** home, 6 months before the explosion**

The midfielder came back home particularly tired. It was late, the training session had been very long and he felt like lying down and sleeping. Strangely enough, the shop looked as if it had been closed hurriedly. Norata knew his wife had surprising, childish reactions sometimes and he still wasn't completely used to it. "Kira?" he called. "Where are you?"

"In the kitchen but don't enter now!"

What on Akilian was she doing?!! He waited, puzzled. There were some dishes noises. "Did you water the roses?" he asked through the closed door.

"Of course! Come… No, wipe your feet and come in!"

He came in as his feet had already been wiped. The table was set, there were wine, candles, the smell of good food and she was standing in front of him, completely gorgeous in a dark red dress he had never seen before. She was giggling like a schoolgirl. He stared at her, dumbfounded. "Kira…" he whispered.

"Surprise! Do you like my dress?"

He nodded. "It looks new. Of course, but what's going on?"

"It's not new; I was just keeping it for a special occasion." She embraced him, put a light kiss on his lips and giggled again. "Sit down and have some wine."

He tried to understand. "What's going on? I didn't forget your birthday, did I?"

"Of course not. You can have all the wine, I won't be able to drink for some time. Come!"

Realisation dawned on him. "You mean…"

"Of course, my love. You're going to be a father!"

He stared at his wife for some time. "Are you sure?" he asked, still incredulous.

She kissed him again. "Of course, I'm sure. I saw a doctor today and she told me everything was all right with the baby, _our_ baby. Aren't you happy?"

Suddenly he didn't feel remotely tired. He nodded, unable to say a word, hugged her and then loosened his hug to look into her sparkling eyes. This was the most wonderful news _ever_. "Well…" he whispered. "Well…"

"Well, sit down and let's celebrate. I made you a nice dinner."

He sat down, elated, and tried to think of something to say. "I noticed. Thanks, it smells good. Do other people know?"

"Of course not. I wanted you to be the first."

He laughed. "Well, thanks for the surprise and… everything." This was really wonderful news. He beamed at her while she poured him some wine, thinking he loved everything about her: her grace, her kindness, the way she surprised him every day… And then he started thinking about. A child would mean a lot of changes and new responsibilities. Of course they could afford to raise him or her but they would have to revise their budget, which he would do as soon as possible. The little room upstairs could be turned into a child's bedroom. There was a school in the area and…

"What are you thinking of?" she asked suddenly.

"Things" he said simply.

"And you say it's me who daydreams all the time!"

He shook his head. "I'm not daydreaming, I'm organising things. This child will need to be raised in the right way."

She laughed. "Norata, it's not even born yet! We have time to think about it. You're so serious sometimes…"

"I'm serious for two."

She laughed even more. "OK, then, Mr Serious, but could you please put your solemn side aside, just for tonight? I want us to celebrate."

"Of course." He took her hand and put a kiss on her phalanxes. Then he thought of something else and frowned. "You know, I think it's my brother who will be less happy about it."

She bat her lips. "What do you mean, he doesn't like children?"

"He doesn't mind them but us raising a child means the end of my career in the team. Galactik football is extremely important for him and I hope he won't hold it against me."

"You want to give up your career?" she asked, puzzled.

"Of course. What else would I do?"

"But it is also important for you", she noticed. "Listen, you don't have to give up GF to raise our child. I know how much you enjoy this sport and I would feel bad if you sacrificed it."

"_I_ would feel bad if I sacrificed the bringing-up of our child", he retorted. "Kira, this will be my goodbye season and anyway, our reserve player can take my place afterwards. I don't want to be away in the galaxy while you'll stay alone with the kid. There's no bigger priority than family!"

She nodded, got up and hugged him, too moved for saying a word. How could she have believed him cold once? He was just the most wonderful man in the universe!

"Love you…" she whispered.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

Synopsis: past fic. What happened to some characters on Akilian just before the Ice Age.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Galactik Football" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Before the ice age__, chapter 3_

**The**** changing-room of Akilian Stadium, a few hours before the explosion**

The coach was glancing at his wrist watch every now and then. Everyone was not early, _as usual_. Well, after all, the essential was that they were not late. Aarch, Adim, Artegor and Burns were already getting ready and he was waiting for the four other players to come.

Then Norata arrived. "I'm not late?" he asked.

"Well, you could have done a bit quicker…"

"Sorry but my wife was in a bad condition..."

"Well, congratulation on being such a caring husband but I'd appreciate if you got ready now. Do you know where the others are?"

Then Max, Sven and Sandi arrived and the coach started talking to them. Aarch took advantage of the situation to walk to his brother. "Bad condition?" he whispered.

"Nothing serious, she just had a bad dream. She saw herself forgetting the baby somewhere…"

The younger brother laughed. "I heard all pregnant women make these kinds of dreams! There aren't any other problems, I hope."

"No, don't worry. Your nephew is all right."

"So it will be a boy?" the blue-eyed brother asked.

"Yeah, but don't tell Kira. She wants it to remain a surprise. He never stops kicking, she says!"

"Good. I'll teach him galactik football when he's older."

The coach interrupted them. "As much as I don't mind people talking about babies, I'd like you to concentrate on the game. The Smog is a particularly powerful Flux and the Shadows won't let you win easily, believe me. I want you to remain concentrate, whatever happens. Same places as usual. Aarch and Artegor: strikers. Norata and Burns: midfielders. Adim and Max: defenders. Sven: goalkeeper. Sandrina, be ready to enter the field at any moment. They have a new player who looks particularly aggressive and I have a bad feeling about him. You're a great team and I know you can win this match!

Then the team entered the field. They felt tensed, nervous, impatient and excited. The Shadows were waiting for them. And the match began.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**A house, a few hours before the explosion**

Kira was watching the match, slouched in a reclining chair. Her husband had insisted that she stayed home and relaxed instead of coming to the stadium where she would be less comfortable. Two years earlier, she had never watched more than a few minutes of a GF match and there were still things she didn't get about it, like the reasons why some supporters attacked the supporters of other teams or hooted in the middle of the night when their favourite team had won or lost a match. Now she was quite enjoying watching it, though. You never now what life has in store for you.

A free kick was announced for his brother-by-law. He stepped back and exchanged a look with his brother, who nodded briefly. She watched him concentrating and then the image on the holo became blurred. Puzzled, the to-be mother got up, putting a hand on her swelled belly as if to ask her baby to calm down, and had a look at the holo. Then she noticed that the ground was trembling. The air became cold and she rushed to the window to close it. What she saw terrified it. It was snowing! But what was going on?

Then she remembered: two greenhouses out of four were opened and Norata had spent _months_ working on the plants within! She went to close them as quickly as she could. It was snowing on the exotic flowers. White flakes were falling slowly like granulated sugar on the delicate blue, pink and red petals. It was a beautiful sight but the air was getting colder and colder and soon, the fragile plants would be dead if she didn't do anything.

She closed all the windows and went upstairs to take a sweater. A sound of broken glass made her jump. She came back into the greenhouse and saw that the cold had made the glass roof explode! Completely panicked, she found a cover and tried to fill up the holes.

Eventually, she sat down, completely exhausted, and turned on the holo again. On all the channels, they were talking about an unexplained explosion, an avalanche on the stadium, two players who were severely injured… her heart missed a beat. She tried to call people she knew but nobody could inform her. Then she decided to go to the hospital and see by herself.

She practically bumped into the neighbour when she left home. "Hey, I was about to go and see how you're doing", he said. "You're not going anywhere, I hope."

"I have to go to the hospital. Do you know it the roads are passable?"

"Uh? Maybe but I won't let you go anywhere. Think of your baby."

The baby?!! Suddenly she realised it hadn't moved at all since the explosion, as if it was afraid of something. This was getting more and more worrying. "Please", she said, "I'm worried about my baby's father and the hospital is not that far. I'll feel better when I'll know he's all right and anyway, what can happen to me in a hospital?"

The neighbour gave up. "I'll drive you, then. Just promise me to go back home and calm down as soon as you'll know he's ok."

She nodded and followed him into his car.

Ooo0ooo0oo

The hospital was crowded. People from all over the city were coming, some were hurt and some were only shocked. In a corridor, six out of the eight players of the Akilian GF team were sitting. Every now and then, one of them got up, went outside, made a phone call and came back. Nobody wanted to talk: they were too worried.

"You know what", Max suddenly said, "I think if that thing hadn't happen, we would have won the match!"

"I'd prefer the match to be lost and everyone to be ok", Sven answered. His girlfriend Sandi had entered the field only ten minutes before the avalanche. She and Norata were both severely injured and he was getting more and more worried.

Max stand in front of him. "I feel bad about it, you know", he said. "If I hadn't been hurt by that Shadow player, she wouldn't have replaced me and…"

"Don't be silly!" the goalkeeper interrupted. "Of course it's not your fault! How could I hold it against you? It's…"

"Ridiculous", Burns said coldly. "None of us is responsible for that problem and getting emotional about it won't help. Now do you mind if I leave? I'd like to know how my family is doing. Say _get well_ to Norata and Sandi from me."

And he left hurriedly. Max stared at him, puzzled. "Do you think this guy has a heart somewhere?" he asked.

"Yes, but he prefers to use his brains", Adim sighed. She hated situations that were going out of everybody's control and having to sit and go through it was driving her mad. There was a long silence and then Max cleared his throat.

"Uh, you know, I read an article about Fluxes, last month. It said, I hope you won't be afraid but it said Fluxes can theoretically disappear when something shakes the planet. And I can't feel my Breath now."

The others stared at him and then closed their eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened, no unique feeling, no burst of energy. They had all lost the Breath. Aarch felt destroyed. His close brother was probably dying and the Breath, the very essence of his life, was gone. What worse could happen to him?

Then the door burst open and a distraught Kira entered. She nearly fainted when seeing her love was not among the people who were present. "What's happened?" she asked. "Is…"

Aarch had never felt so embarrassed. His sister-by-law was already a bit on the fragile side when everything was all right, so how could he tell her that her husband was severely hurt while she was pregnant with eight months? He tried to think of something but Sven didn't leave him time to say anything. He got up and embraced the to-be mother.

"We'll need to be brave", he whispered. "Be brave. They'll need us. Your Norata and my Sandi… well, they got the worst of it. The doctors are now taking care of them and they said they'd do their best. I'm sure they will recover and… uh, your kid's just kicked me!"

She laughed nervously. "One good news, at least. It hadn't moved at all since the explosion. Do we know what they have, exactly?"

"Not yet", Aarch said quickly. The mere though of his brother lying unconscious on a stretcher was enough to make him sick. This looked like a nightmare. It could only be a nightmare! He tried to change the subject. "So, why don't you go back home where you'll be more comfortable?" he asked.

"No, thanks, I'd rather stay. I want to be there for him when he's awake."

Aarch and Sven tried to convince her to go home but she refused categorically: taking care of her loved ones was more important than anything else. Max left them later, wishing them good luck. He was worried about his family and wanted to see if they were all right. Then it was Artegor's and Adim's turn. Time passed. People were coming and going.

Then a little kid stopped by the two players and stared at them. "Can I have an autograph, please?" she asked politely. "It's for my little brother, he just had his arm broken…"

Aarch was so upset that he didn't react but helpful Sven immediately nodded. He was about to ask for the little boy's name when a doctor appeared. "Does someone here know Sandrina Eef?" he asked.

He got up. "I'm her boyfriend. Tell me she'll be all right!"

"You're Sven, aren't you?" the doctor asked. "She asked for you. She'll recover but the cold affected the optical nerves. I'm sorry but she's lost her sight."

The goalkeeper nodded. "I was afraid it could be worse", he said slowly. "Don't tell her parents, I'll tell them myself. Can I have a talk with her?" And he followed the doctor into the room. Aarch and Kira remained alone and afraid.

Ooo0ooo0oo

Norata awoke with the feeling he just had a nightmare. But instead of lying with Kira in his bedroom, he was in a hospital bed, numb and with a woman in white staring at him. "How do you feel, sir?" the nurse asked.

"I don't know. Where am I?"

"In Akilian central hospital."

A hospital?!! What did it mean? "Was my son born?" the to-be father asked immediately.

"Not yet. But your wife is all right, and so is your brother. They are both waiting for you. Do you remember what happened?"

He remembered the earthquake just after his brother's free kick, the avalanche, and then nothing. "You say everyone is all right?" he asked cautiously. Then he realised he couldn't move one of his legs. Actually he couldn't feel it at all. Panic overcame him. The nurse noticed his glance at the sheets and tried to sound comforting.

"I'm afraid we were too late to save your left leg. We'll give you an artificial limb soon, don't worry."

_Don't worry_?!! How could he help worrying? What had he done to deserve to lose a leg? Had he not always a good, hard-working person, a good brother and husband? Why him? And how could he carry on protecting Kira, fragile as a flower as she was, with that kind of handicap? How could he protect his future baby in that pitiful state?!!

"Don't tell my wife!" he said.

"I'm afraid we already had to explain her everything. She'd like to talk to you."

The former midfielder thought he didn't want anybody he knew to see him in that state but he felt too tired to explain it. "And the rest of the team?" he asked.

"They are all okay, except for Miss Eef, who was also injured. She regained consciousness some time ago and…" the nurse couldn't help smiling "she actually told everyone jokes."

That was so typical from Sandi that Norata didn't even react. "Go away", he said simply.

"What should I say to your family?"

He sighed. There was nothing more important than family and he had to put their mind at ease, even though he'd prefer to be alone. "Let them enter" he said. The nurse nodded and a few seconds later, Aarch and Kira entered the room.

Kira fell slowly on her knees when she saw him and buried her face onto his shoulder. "I was so worried…" she whispered.

""What are you doing here?" he asked abruptly. "You were supposed to stay home. Think of our baby!"

She stared at him, puzzled, and tears started running down her cheeks. "I… I was worried!" she stuttered. I though you were…"

Aarch sighed. "I told her to stay home too, but she just wanted to be sure that you were all right, ok? Don't worry, I'll drive her home myself."

"How's the baby?" he asked. His wife getting so distressed was making him uneasy and he didn't want to show her how upset he was himself. He had to hide his fears because she needed him to be strong. However, she looked at him, surprised.

"I… think it's ok. Kicks all the time, as usual. How do _you_ feel?"

"Nothing worth talking about it. Did you close the greenhouses?"

She felt slightly hurt. It was obvious that he was _really_ upset, and him refusing to talk about it seemed to be a lack of trust. She told herself he was trying to cope with stress and nodded. "Yes, but the cold broke three greenhouses out of four. It tried to lessen the…"

"The COLD?" he interrupted.

"There has been a climate change for a few hours."

Then his brother spoke but the former midfielder didn't listen. If they had lost three greenhouses, they had to find another way to make their budget work. He couldn't play GF any more, of course. The greenhouses had to be repaired, so he would search information on plants that withstood the cold, he would also convince his bank to…

"Norata", his brother asked, worried, "are you listening to me?"

He shook his head. "No. Can you leave me alone now? I have to think."

Aarch and Kira exchanged a look. The captain of the team knew very well how stubborn his brother was, especially in bad situations. He decided to tell him later about the loss of the Breath. "Ok, then", he said. "I'll visit you tomorrow."

"Love you", the to-be mother said with a kiss. She waited for an answer, heard nothing and left.

Ooo0ooo0oo

They drove home slowly. The landscape was so beautiful the day before but now it looked like a battle field after the war. Aarch was feeling empty. He was so sorry for his brother. And what was he without his Breath? Nothing at all. He would never play GF again, none of his friends would and he couldn't stand that idea. This was just driving him mad.

He stopped by Norata's home, turned to his sister-by-law, who was crying silently, and patted her shoulder. "Listen", he said awkwardly, "you were good. Really good. Now go home, relax, eat something and sleep, you'll need it. Ok?"

This sounded like the speeches his coach made to the team players when he was satisfied with the training sessions but Kira guessed it was the closest to a warm, comforting thing he could think of. "Thank you", she said. She hugged him briefly and then stumbled to her cold, unwelcoming home. Aarch sighed and drove to him own home, feeling empty.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

Synopsis: past fic. What happened to some characters on Akilian just before the Ice Age.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Galactik Football" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Before the ice age__, chapter 4_

**Akilian hospital, one month after the explosion**

Norata was holding his newborn son and thinking that at least, good things happened. The delivery had gone smoothly, Kira had completely recovered and they had now this dozing little thing that was their baby. For the first time since the explosion, he felt quite happy.

"I think he'll have your eyes" Kira said with a smile. "He looks just like you."

"We'll see." He got up awkwardly and put the baby back into his cot. He was not completely used to walk with an artificial limb yet but at least he had finally got used to that idea and he had gone back to work. Actually, he was spending even more time on the accountancy or in the greenhouses than before, and he hardly saw people at all. He wanted to prove that crippled or not, he could still support his family. The problem was, he hadn't noticed that his wife was quite puzzled about it. He hardly talked to her, said mostly things like "sit down and relax" or "Yeah, I'm okay…" She nearly had the feeling that he didn't really need her.

Someone knocked at the door. The recent parents expected to see Aarch, who had been told that he had a nephew now. Instead, it was Sven, who was guiding a stumbling Sandi. "Hello", the latter said. "We didn't enter the wrong room, did we?"

Norata and Kira forced themselves to laugh. It was the first time they saw the blind girl in a public place since the match and her humour was still _really_ bad. However, she didn't seem remotely depressed. "We're here to congratulate you", she said happily while Sven helped her to sit down. "A baby is such good news!"

"How do you feel about…" Kira asked, embarrassed.

"The fact that from now on, I'll need help to buy shoes the right colour? Well, my tastes about shoes were already quite bad. Oh, and I had an answer from a school for blind people. I can go next month! They'll teach me to read and write in Braille and to find my way in streets with no help! Isn't it cool?"

Norata felt quite uneasy. There was something abnormal with Sandi's inalterable perkiness. How can you become physically handicap and still remain careless and optimistic? "How do you know about Rocket?" he asked to change the subject.

"Max told us," Sven explained. "And we don't know who told him. This is a beautiful baby."

"Thank you. Did Max tell you if he knows where Burns is?" Norata asked.

There was a long silence. The former midfielder had disappeared mysteriously a few days after the match and nobody knew where he was now, not even Max, who knew everything about everyone. Careless Sandi shook her head. "He's probably the smartest of us all", she said. "I'm sure he's okay."

"Maybe he's working on a project", Sven suggested.

"Well, talking about project, Sven wants to start a charity, something that will help people who lost their loved ones or their homes because of the explosion", Sandi added with a broad smile. "Isn't it great?"

Sven blushed slightly and protested. He was uneasy whenever people congratulated him, but Kira was already asking him questions. Sven tried to change the subject and asked questions about the newborn baby. And Norata tried to hide his feeling of uneasiness. Whenever he looked at Sandi's eyes, grey-blue-green a month earlier, now one shade lighter, he remembered that he had definitely lost a part of him, and he hated that idea. At one moment, she asked him if he was getting used to his artificial leg, and he said briskly that he didn't want to talk about it.

"I have to go and work," he added, getting up. "Say hello to everyone from me."

Kira bat her lip. She expected him to do anything but running away to work the day his son was born. "Can't your work wait?" she asked.

"I'm already behind schedule." He bent down cautiously, kissed his wife on the cheek and left the room, leaving a puzzled Kira.

Sven guessed what she was thinking and tried to explain things away. "Serious guy, he can't help it, you know. Or maybe he's so moved by the birth of his baby and doesn't want to show it."

"Well… thanks for caring."

There was a long silence, and then they started talking about the baby again. When the couple left, Kira couldn't help noticing how Sandi relied on Sven as he held her hand, and how they seemed to need each other. She wished Norata could trust her a little more. Just now, he seemed to see her as one of those delicate flowers that need protection and nothing else. But then she remembered she actually _loved_ his protective side. Now he was just going through a difficult phase. She just had to wait if she wanted him to become the man she had married again…

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Planet Akilian, two days later**

Aarch and Adim were sitting in a corner, talking seriously. The lost of their Breath had been a terrible blow but they were starting recovering. However, they couldn't help talking about sport. "I bet the Lightnings will win the cup this year", Adim said. "Technically speaking, they're the best."

"I bet on the Shadows", Aarch answered. "They definitely have the most powerful Flux."

"A Flux is not everything."

"Oh, come on. Do you imagine a good team with no Flux at all?"

She laughed. "Sounds improbable, indeed. How's the nephew, by the way?"

He took a photo in his pocket. "Cute kid, isn't he? They called him Rocket, like his grandfather, and Aarch, like his oncle."

"Nice intention."

"Indeed." He put the photo back into his pocket and became serious again. "Now what do you want to do?"

She expected him to talk about their relationship and smiled. "I have something to do tonight but if you want to go out tomorrow night…"

"I'm talking about our futures. How are we going to find our Fluxes back?"

She frowned, surprised. "Aarch, all the doctors I saw said we have little chance to find them back one day. I can live without it."

He shrugged, disappointed. "So everyone is giving up, then. Max gives up and writes what he calls novels, Sven gives up and starts a charity, Norata gives up and raises his son…"

"How can you blame them on that?" she asked, puzzled. "There's nothing wrong with being altruistic, or family-oriented, or whatever."

"You've got a point", he said. "But I can't imagine myself giving up football."

"Pity, because you'll have to, anyway. Do we meet tomorrow night?"

He wanted to say yes but he felt so disappointed by her not agreeing with him that he shook his head. "No. Goodbye."

And he left hurriedly.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Artegor's home, one day later**

"So they all want to give up?" Artegor asked.

Aarch nodded. "Of course we can't blame them. Norata and Sandi are both physically handicapped now, Sven is just the helpful type, Max thinks he's a writer, Burns… well, we'll know where he is only when he wants us to, and Adim…"

"Let me guess. She wants to control your life and you're fed up with it?"

He laughed. "As usual. We have a control-control relationship. No, I'm just disappointed because she's giving up, too. She doesn't seem to regret her lost Flux… I don't get it."

"We can have it back, you know?"

The blue-eyed striker frowned. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"Well, Max lent me his books. It appears that you can't have most Fluxes if you were not born on the matching planet, but there are exceptions. You can develop the Smogg if you really want to, for example, even if you were not born on the Shadows planet."

Aarch frowned. "Are you sure of it?"

"It's written down in black and white."

Norata's brother thought about. This looked unexpected. But he had some qualms leaving his devastated planet and his crippled brother to have new adventures. Why forsaking everyone?

"We could try the Smogg in a few years", he suggested.

"No, don't wait. If you do, your girlfriend will find a way to make you stay here in one way or another, or maybe you'll get too old to play GF again."

"But my brother needs me…"

"He told everyone that it was his last season anyway, and his sweet little wife will take good care of him. Why hesitating? Why wasting your talent now?"

Aarch didn't know what to say. His brother had always been here for him when he needed him, after all. But leaving all the problems and the worries and starting another life was so tempting…

"Let me think about", he asked.

"Don't think about too long. I leave in two weeks, with or without you."

"You _already_ decided?"

Artegor nodded. He had no family and no significant other on Akilian, nothing was holding him back. He wanted to leave. But he didn't really feel like leaving alone. Going with somebody would be much better, especially if this somebody was… a friend.

"Let me think about", his friend said. "I don't want to take bad decisions."

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Max's home, ****two days later**

The bald former defender was typing on his computer when someone knocked at his door. It was Artegor, carrying books. "Hello, I'm giving them back to you", he said. "Thanks, that was illuminating."

"You're wel… wait, what do you mean by illuminating?"

"I've got to go now. Goodbye!"

Max nodded and went to put his books back in place. He was intuitive enough to know that there was something strange about Artegor today, so he decided to drive to his home. Then he thought about. Artegor would probably not go back home directly, but he was quite tired of writing for today and wanted to do something else for a change. He had bought some baby clothes as a birth present a few days before and still had to give them to Norata and his wife. This seemed to be the right occasion.

Kira was sitting in a chair, lulling the baby, when he entered. She looked tired. "Hello", she said. "I'm afraid Norata is quite busy just now. Could you wait, please?"

"He can't be too busy for accepting something for his kid. I always thought he's too serious."

"That's adorable but you'll have to wait!"

She stopped, frightened by her own briskness. "I'm sorry", she said. "Don't take it badly, I'm just a bit upset. The baby has fever, you know, and I feel so worried…"

Max nodded. "You know, I have a friend who knows a psychic who adopted a baby recently. The baby had unexplained fever for some time, and then it disappeared. Maybe it's just the climate or something like that."

"Maybe."

"You know, it's amazing how you look like the actress who played Isabella in _Goodbye Forever_."

She leaned forward. "It was me. Did you like the play?"

"Of course I liked it! You were just incredible. This is a cute baby. Do you…"

Max never finished his sentence as shouts were heard through the partition wall. Aarch and Norata were obviously arguing. Max walked to the end of the room and listened intently, at Kira's great dismay. "You know, I'm not sure they would appreciate us listening to them", she said hesitantly.

He nodded. "Yes. Well, I think I'd better leave now. Say hello to everyone from me. Your baby is adorable and you're an amazing actress and everything. Goodbye!" And he left hurriedly. Listening to the argument was so tempting that he preferred to run away not to be intrusive.

Kira sat down and tried not to listen to anything. Suddenly she missed the stage so much! For the first time, she wondered if getting married had been such a great idea. Norata never congratulated her on anything, he just spent all his time working and took her for granted…

But he loved her, didn't he? He was just awkward about showing it, like a lot of men. She walked slowly to the new child's room and put the sleeping baby back into his cot. Then she went back, just in time to see her brother-by-law leaving hurriedly and a very upset Norata staring at him. "What's the matter?" she asked. "What did your brother…"

"From now on, I have no brother. That man decided to leave Akilian and his family to satisfy his selfish goals. I don't know him."

"He'll come back," she said comfortingly. "Sooner or later, he'll realise his mistake."

"Whether he comes back or not, I don't want to hear of him again. _Ever_. Do you think we can still change our son's middle name?"

"I don't know", she whispered. She was not sure that she totally approved her husband's reaction, but avoiding conflict was a priority for her. "Is there something I can do?" she asked.

"No. thanks, I have to work now."

"You know what?" she said suddenly. "You look tensed. Come upstairs, I'll massage your back."

"I'm not tensed so now _let me work_!"

She nodded and left hurriedly. He was already regretting his burst of anger. It was just that he was so upset and he only wanted to be alone for a moment. He had probably hurt her and would apologize later, after working. Well, she knew he did all that working for her, didn't she? She was an angel, she would forgive him. He needed her _so much_.

She went back into the baby's room and tried hard not to cry. How could he talk to her like that? Didn't he realise that she loved him?

And did he love her? He still looked cold sometimes. More often than sometimes. Max and Sven, who were only good friends, could demonstrate more kindness to her in a few minutes than him in a month. But Norata loved her, after all. He wanted to give up his career to raise their child with her…

He was so family-oriented. Maybe he wanted nothing but a good mother for his children all along… No, that would be too horrible!

But it sort of made sense. He might have noticed her kind and caring personality and thought she would become a kind and caring mother and… no, she hated that idea. But she remembered something she was told by a friend when she was younger. _You idealise people so much, you never see their flaws and when you can see them at last, you're disappointed_. It was true. Had she been blind about Norata all along?

Well, they were married after all, and leaving this poor man when they just had a baby together wasn't the right thing to do. She still missed the theatre, though, and how she felt loved whenever the public applauded. He probably wouldn't mind if she took up her old passion.

"You know", she said to him one hour later, "there are often auditions for amateur plays at this time of the year. Would you mind if I tried to go on the stage again?"

He frowned, thinking she was getting crazy. She was still tired from the birth of their baby so how could she want to do something as straining as going on the stage? "It would be a bad idea" he said.

"Why?"

"I think you know why."

"I'll wait until Rocket's fever is gone, you know."

"You won't do that and that's all there is to it."

Kira shook her head, ran to her room and started crying. He didn't love her. Otherwise he would know how important these auditions were for her. Why had she been foolish enough to marry him? And _why_ would she stay with him? He was a rock, he didn't need her. She just wanted to feel loved but it seemed impossible with someone like him. She had to leave.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Akilian**** spaceport, days later**

Norata watched the spaceship leaving with a growing feeling of bitterness. So Kira was forsaking him, too. She was more interested in her selfish ambitions than in helping her own family. To think he believed once that she was the generous type! How could things get even worse?

Galactic Football had caused so much harm. It had made him lose his leg, his brother and his wife, blinded Sandi, probably killed Burns… He wished he had never heard of that sport. "Never play football", he whispered to his dozing baby. "Never become like the man who pretended to be my brother…"

He walked back to his vehicle and noticed a red-haired woman who was standing alone, arms crossed. She nodded at him. "I hope it won't hurt you", she said calmly, "but your brother's a jerk."

"Which brother?"

Adim laughed briefly. "We'll get over it", she said. "Believe me."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Sensible things."

He nodded approvingly. At least there were still people who went about things the right way. None of them could think of anything to say so they both went back to their homes. Norata checked that the baby seat was attached correctly and drove home, thinking of how he would have to raise his kid alone. Fragile as she was, Kira was not going to survive alone for long, but that was not his business any more. He'd better not think of her. He had to be strong for his baby. At least he still had a family…

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

Synopsis: past fic. What happened to some characters on Akilian just before the Ice Age.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Galactik Football" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me. Last chapter.

_Before the ice age__, chapter 5_

**Wambas planet****, some years after the explosion**

Aarch awoke with the feeling he just had a nightmare. His body was painful all over. What had happened to him? Oh, he remembered. The match, the feeling that Smogg was destroying him from inside, him and Artegor arguing… And then, nothing. He had probably lost consciousness.

Now he was in a bedroom. A brown-haired woman got up when she saw he was awake. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Well… much better", he said. The woman radiated calm and he immediately liked her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dame Simbaï, the medic who took care of you lately. You had a bad case of Smogg poisoning but now you're healed."

He tried to get up. "You mean you saved my life? Well… How could I thank you?"

"Maybe you could tell whoever wants to get the Smogg that it would be a bad idea. It nearly killed you."

Aarch forced himself to smile. He had been stupid, indeed. When he thought of it, he had done things he was not proud of lately. He had forgotten fair-play, hurt other players on the field, been rude to other people _even when he was not playing_… this was really disturbing.

"I feel like another person," he said simply.

"You are. The Smogg modifies physical abilities, but it also modifies personality. Are you thirsty?" she added, handing him a glass of water. He nodded and drank. He really had the feeling he was awaking from a nightmare.

"Did someone visit me lately?" he asked.

"Artegor Nexus told me to call him when you would be awake but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little."

He nodded. Having someone who took care of you felt _good_. Having his old personality back felt even better. Now he knew who he was, and he also knew what he wanted to do. And that included giving up Smogg and football definitely.

Ooo0ooo0oo

"You want to _what_?" Artegor asked him later. "After all that I did for you, you want to stop everything? You can't give up now. You can have your Smogg back."

"It's not _my_ Smogg and I don't want it anyway."

"_Don't_ do that. It would be…"

They both stared at each other and Aarch suddenly remembered a talk he had with his own brother years before. He had said things like _football is all my life_ and _I can't give up now_, and Norata had told him how insane he thought he was. Now it was Artegor who was using his old arguments and him who had the feeling he was talking to an insane person. "Thank you", he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Now I can see my mistakes. I won't do that again."

Artegor grumbled and left. He was boiling inside. How could his old friend do that to him? _How_? He was going to make him _pay_, sooner or later.

Someone knocked at the door. It was the medic again. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Never better. I'm going to leave, now. Thanks for everything again."

"Do you know what you're going to do now?" she asked politely.

He shrugged. "I guess I'll find something to do."

Ooo0ooo0oo

**A house in Akilian**

Norata was working behind his desk when his son burst into the room. "Hello Dad, I'm back. Can I go and play football with the neighbours?" he asked.

He sighed. "You can play any game you want with them except galactik football, I already told you that."

"But it's the only sport they want to play!"

"Listen, some very bad things happened to me because of this sport", he said sharply. "It even made me lose my leg. I don't want the same thing to happen to you, you know."

The boy nodded. He was very fond of his father but sometimes he couldn't understand his reactions. He went to leave the room, stopped on the doorstep and looked at him hesitantly. "Uh, dad? Do I have a mom?"

"What?"

"All the boys I know have a mom and a dad. Do I have a mom?"

Norata had expected this question for a long time. He gestured the boy to sit down and for the umpteenth time, he noticed that his eyes were now exactly the same shade of golden as his long-lost mother's. "Listen, Rocket," he said. "I'm sorry but your mother's dead."

"Dead? What does it mean?"

"She's gone. She'll never come back. When you were still a baby, she took a spaceship and the spaceship had an accident. It… blew up in space."

The boy nodded. His father didn't like lying to him but he believed it was the best solution. Children were cruel. If his son's schoolmates learnt he had been forsaken by his own mother when he was a few weeks old, they could make fun of him in the playground. Anyway, it was close to the truth. If he hadn't heard of fragile Kira for years, it meant that she was either dead, or protected by someone else, someone who had replaced him. He didn't like those ideas but just now, protecting his little boy was his priority.

"I see" the boy said simply before leaving the room. So his mom was dead. And he couldn't play with the other kids. In a way, this didn't really bother him because he was as much of a loner as both of his parents. Well, he could still learn football alone, after all. He just had to find a ball and a place his dad didn't know about.

Norata watched him through the window, wondering how much time would pass before the kid also found out that he had an uncle. He would have to tell him, well, sensible things about him. Raising a child really had to be done in a sensible way.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Another planet**

Kira was sitting in front of the studio. She had just been fired because she had told the main actress that she was a "selfish bitch". The weirdest thing was, she didn't regret anything. She usually hated conflict and rudeness but with that woman… How could you remain calm and kind with someone who treats everybody like dirt?

It occurred to her that she would never become a famous actress. Maybe she was untalented, after all. Or maybe she was just unable to do what more ambitious girls did, like treading on each other, accepting to be photographed naked or sleeping with people they didn't even like.

But did she regret to have strong moral values? No. After all, she had been faithful to herself and it mattered more than fame or money to her.

Well, she had not _always_ been faithful to herself. Years earlier, she had forsaken her baby and a man she still loved, after all. She still felt guilty about it. Maybe he had never forgiven her. Sometimes she felt like going back to Akilian to see how her son had grown up without her but… No, Norata had told her he couldn't raise his child alone, and unlike her, he was quite unromantic. He had probably married someone else now, a sensible, conventional, realistic woman. A better match for him. And they were happy together.

Kira wiped a tear and decided it was better this way. She wanted him to be happy, after all. And she didn't want to fall in love again and have her heart broken. But she needed to find another job, if only to make a living. Trying to be an actress was like swimming among sharks and she was tired of it. Maybe she could try to be hired as a shop assistant again. The clients usually appreciated her and being appreciated was _so_ important for her.

She got up and walked to her shabby hotel. She had to start another life. Again. If she had survived among sharks, she could carry on trying to have a more meaningful life.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**Akilian, some years later**

It was the first time Adim was seeing Artegor after all these years and he looked changed: more careless, more arrogant. She wondered how much she had changed herself. "So, you think you can do something with our local team?" she asked cautiously.

"I guess I was wrong about Fluxes: there can be substitutes for them. Equipments, for example."

"It would cost a lot of money."

"Well, that would be well-employed money, wouldn't it?"

The redhead didn't know what to think. The only prestigious team that didn't have a Flux was the Pirates, and they were admired mostly because everyone was fascinated by their attitude, their fair-play and the fact nobody knew who they were exactly. "OK, let's say you'll be allowed to have a try. Where do you get the money from?"

"Some people are ready to pay _a lot_ to see their kids play against the best teams. Why disappointing them?"

She didn't like that at all. Some really good players had started poor and had been selected thanks to their skills, not because of their wealth. But officially, nothing could prevent Artegor from realising his project.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Do you know what happened to our old friend, lately?"

She guessed immediately who he meant but she shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know. Blue eyes, nice smile, the one who dumped you and ran away with me. He ran away from me, too."

"The past doesn't matter to me", she said very calmly. "Goodbye, I have things to do."

He could swear he had seen her putting on a wry face briefly. So he was not the only one who was upset about Aarch. Good. _Good_. One day, he would make him pay for what he had done to him.

Ooo0ooo0oo

**A bar in Shiloe****, 16 years after the explosion**

Someone had just announced that Sonny Blackbones and his team would soon be back and everyone was celebrating. The galaxy was relatively safe again, the Technoïd wouldn't have the Meta-Flux… oh, and by the way, it was the Snow Kids who had won the cup, which didn't bother the Pirates as they all thought that fighting the Technoïd was much more important than winning galactic football matches. Anyway, most of them didn't mind the Akilian team so why bothering?

A boy in his early teens was watching the holo when he noticed a man with piercing eyes who seemed to be thinking about. "What the matter, dad?" he asked. "You don't want to celebrate?"

The man shook his head and left the bar. Puzzled, his son followed him to their home, which was actually a spaceship where they lived and slept. The boy sat down on a second-hand chair - everything they owned was second-hand - while his father was looking into a box. "Did I ever tell you everyone called me Burns when I was younger?" the latter asked.

"Yes, you did. And you lived on Akilian."

"Exactly. I used to play in their football team, you know. This broadcast just reminded me of old memories." He took a photograph and showed it to his son.

"You looked… younger, dad. Who were the other people?"

"I suppose you can identify Aarch and Artegor Nexus. They used to be close friends but you know what happened to them. Norata, Aarch's brother, lost a leg at the beginning of the ice age and reconverted in floriculture. I saw him with his wife on the broadcast so I guess they were not such a crack pairing, after all. Adim, the red-haired, has now a job about football, too. Sandi, the blond girl, became blind and married Sven, the tall, big one. He runs a charity now and I think they have two daughters. Max, the bald one, never managed to have his novel published so he started working in the press. He became quite a successful journalist."

"And what about you, dad?" the boy asked, impressed.

"You know. I met interesting people after the explosion, we joined the Pirates together, I adopted you later…"

"And do you have any regrets?" his son couldn't help asking.

Burns shook his head. "Regrets? No. They must think I'm dead now but they must have gotten over it too. Logically, saving the world is more important than running after a ball."

The boy nodded, impressed, and they went back into the bar together. Life had to go on.

_The end!_


End file.
